EXCHANGE

GALERIE JOCHEN HEMPEL X JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY

January 7 – February 13, 2016

Press Release

JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY is proud to announce an international gallery exchange exhibition with Galerie Jochen Hempel, Berlin/Leipzig. In January 2016, eight German artists represented by Galerie Jochen Hempel, chosen by the curatorial team at JFG, will exhibit in New Orleans to kick off the gallery's exhibition calendar. In June 2016, six artists from Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, chosen by the curatorial team at GJH, will exhibit in Berlin. The New Orleans installation of EXCHANGE features the work of German artists Hartwig Ebersbach, Uwe Frauendorf, Gerhard Gäbler, Matthias Hoch, Harald Kirschner, Peter Krauskopf, Sven Kroner and Ulf Puder. The exhibition will open on Friday 8 January and run through Saturday 13 February with an opening reception on Saturday 9 January from 6-9pm.

Jonathan Ferrara Gallery continually strives to broaden the scope of its practice and expand its international offerings. This unique collaboration with Galerie Jochen Hempel highlights this growth. Representing two hotbeds of creative talent, Berlin and New Orleans, the galleries are teaming up to present two reciprocal exhibitions in each city. The intent is to foster a dialogue between the two galleries and the two cities while presenting works by artists for the first time in the respective cities.

EXCHANGE presents the work of eight German artists in two parts . . . the main gallery unveils a selection of recent paintings by Hartwig Ebersbach, Peter Krauskopf, Sven Kroner and Ulf Puder. And in the centre gallery, commemorating 25 years since the demolition of the Berlin Wall, are a series of photographs made during the Leipzig Demonstrations in 1989 by Uwe Frauendorf, Gerhard Gäbler, Matthias Hoch and Harald Kirschner.

Galerie Jochen Hempel was founded in 1992 in Leipzig, Germany by its owner and director Jochen Hempel. Between 1993 and 1998, Hempel also ran a project space in Berlin, called Dogenhaus Projekte Berlin in addition to the Leipzig gallery. GJH opened its Berlin space in July 2011 and continues the work of Dogenhaus Galerie. Dogenhaus´ longstanding collaborations with artists and collectors create an excellent basis for the work of the current gallery. The Berlin gallery is located near the historic Checkpoint Charlie and the Leipzig gallery is at Baumwollspinnerei Leipzig, a former industrial site, which developed to a lively place for contemporary art. The old steam engine hall in Leipzig offers a unique exhibition space with the versatility and scale of the space allowing the gallery to strive towards fulfilling its commitment to museum quality presentations in its approach to exhibiting its artists.

In conjunction with the exhibition the gallery will present two special events: On Thursday 21 January (6-8pm), the gallery is partnering with Deustches Haus, a New Orleans based organization with a mission to celebrate and foster the culture/history/language and musical heritage of the German people, to present “Kultur Abend”, an evening of German culture, food and music at the gallery. And then on Friday 22 January (6-7:30pm), the gallery is partnering with Pelican Bomb, a New Orleans based critical arts writing and curatorial organization, to present “EXCHANGE Forum”, a conversation between Cameron Shaw, Pelican Bomb Executive Director, and Jochen Hempel, owner and director of Galerie Jochen Hempel. Jochen Hempel will attend both events in New Orleans.

For further information, press or sales inquiries please contact the gallery director, Matthew Weldon Showman, at matthew@jonathanferraragallery.com or at +1.504.522.5471.